GREEN BAY (6-1) at ARIZONA (7-0)
Thursday, 7:20 p.m., FOX/NFL Network
OPENING LINE: Cardinals by 6 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Packers 6-1, Cardinals 6-1.
SERIES RECORD: Packers lead 45-26-4.
LAST MEETING: Cardinals beat Packers 20-17 on Dec. 2, 2018 in Green Bay.
LAST WEEK: Packers beat Washington 24-10 in Green Bay; Cardinals beat Texans 31-5 in Arizona.
PACKERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (24), RUSH (19), PASS (18), SCORING (17)
CARDINALS OFFENSE: OVERALL (8), RUSH (5), PASS (11), SCORING (4)
PACKERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (7), RUSH (22), PASS (6), SCORING (7-T)
CARDINALS DEFENSE: OVERALL (4), RUSH (18), PASS (3), SCORING (1)
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Packers plus-5; Cardinals plus-8.
PACKERS PLAYER TO WATCH: LB De’Vondre Campbell. The former Cardinal has flourished in his first season with the Packers. He has a team-high 67 tackles to rank fifth in the NFL. Indianapolis’ Darius Leonard is the only other defensive player to have at least two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery this season.
CARDINALS PLAYER TO WATCH: TE Zach Ertz. The veteran tight end had a terrific debut for his new team last week, making a one-handed grab over the middle and scoring on a 47-yard reception, which was the longest touchdown of his career. Ertz was acquired by the Cardinals in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on Oct. 15.
KEY MATCHUP: Packers QB Aaron Rodgers vs. Arizona’s defense. The Cardinals have had one of the NFL’s best defenses this season, particularly when stopping the pass. CB Byron Murphy Jr. has three interceptions while Budda Baker is one of the league’s best all-around safeties. Rodgers comes into the game on a roll, throwing 15 TDs and just one interception during Green Bay’s six-game winning streak.
KEY INJURIES: Packers WR Davante Adams went on the COVID-19/reserve list Monday and isn’t expected to play. WR Allen Lazard went on the COVID-19/reserve list Tuesday. WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling has missed four games with a hamstring injury, but the Packers are hoping he could be available Thursday. CB Kevin King (shoulder) and OLB Preston Smith (oblique) have practiced on a limited basis this week after missing the Packers’ victory Sunday over Washington. OT David Bakhtiari (knee) is eligible to return after beginning the year on the physically unable to perform list, but he hasn’t yet been added to the active roster. … The Cardinals are thin at center. Starter Rodney Hudson (ribs) is on injured reserve and backup Max Garcia (achilles) hasn’t practiced this week. DE J.J. Watt (shoulder) didn’t practice this week and won’t play. WR DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring) was limited in practice. LB Chandler Jones and DE Zach Allen are expected to play after missing time with COVID-19.
SERIES NOTES: Green Bay had dominated the series though Arizona has won the past three meetings. The Packers last beat the Cardinals 31-17 in 2012. The two teams met in a classic playoff game in 2015, which the Cardinals won 26-20 in overtime. Rodgers completed a desperation pass to tie the game and send it to overtime. Larry Fitzgerald accounted for all 80 yards in the Cardinals’ game-winning drive in OT.
STATS AND STUFF: Two of the past three games (including postseason) between the two teams have gone into overtime. … The Packers have won six straight since opening the season with a 38-3 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Jacksonville, Florida. … According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this is the fourth time Green Bay has ever played a game in which both the Packers and their opponent entered with winning streaks of at least six games within that season. The other instances were in 1929, 1942 and 2015 … This is the first time the Packers have faced the Cardinals on a Thursday since a 1935 Thanksgiving Day matchup with the Chicago Cardinals. … The Packers are 15-5 in regular-season road games during Matt LaFleur’s coaching tenure. … The Packers have gone 6-0 in games Davante Adams has missed since 2019. They went 4-0 without him in 2019 and 2-0 in 2020. … Adams is tied for second in the NFL in catches (52) and is third in yards receiving (744). … QB Kyler Murray leads the NFL with a 73.5% completion rate. He’s also second with a 116.8 passer rating and second with 20 total touchdowns. … LB Markus Golden leads the Cardinals with six sacks and has four forced fumbles, which leads the league. … The Cardinals have scored at least 30 points six times this season. They’ve also given up 20 points or fewer six times this season. Both marks lead the league. … Arizona has outscored its opponents by 111 points through seven games. That margin leads the league. … The Cardinals have stopped 10 of 12 fourth-down attempts over the past four games.
FANTASY TIP: The Cardinals have split time at running back this season with Chase Edmonds and James Conner both getting significant carries. For fantasy purposes, Conner has proven the better play, scoring six touchdowns in seven games. He’s emerged as the team’s preferred option in goal-line situations.
